Fly-killer.



. E. TITUS.

FLY KILLER.

APPLICATION FILED 'Aus.20. I914.

Patented June 22, 191".

anueutoz 'l'c'ta's,

Jill

specification of letters Yatent.

Patented June 22, 1%15.

declination filed August so, 159%. Serial Kilo. 857,74fl.

To all whom it may 00mm Be it hows that l, Wnms E. Ems, citizen of the United States, residinw ct Henover, in the county of Jackson and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Fly Killers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of devices commonly @own as fly killers and more particularly to an improved receptacle adapted to contain a poisonous liquid and so constructed that flies may gain access to the said liquid, the invention having as its primcry object to provide e receptacle which may be readily attached to the wire fabric of a screen door in such position that dies alighting upon the door will be attracted by the presence of the said liquid to feed thereon.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved device of this character so constructed when operatively attached to the fabric a screen door, flies alighting upon either side of the :fabric of the door may gain access to the wicks carried by the receptacle, which wicks being saturated with the poisonous liquid, will permit the flies to "feed thereon.

The invention has as a. still further object to provide on improved device of this character which, while being especially adapted for attachment to screen doors, will also be adapted to rest upon any other suitable form of supyort in such position that the wicks carried thereby will be held uppermost to thus revent the spilling of the liquid contained within the receptacle, and further so constructed that the said device may be easily suspended by cord or other flexible element from a nail or other suitable form of suppoi't. And invention has as a still further ole/cot to generolly improve the construction and increese lhe elhciency of devices off the shove described character.

With these and other objects in view, my invention will he more fully described illustrated in the accompanying drawings and at one end thereof, Fig. 3 is a transverse sectional view particularly illustrating the disposition of the wicks carried by the receptacle, Fig. 4 is an end view of the device showing the disposition of the hooks or hangers carried thereby and illustrating the manner in which the receptacle is disposed to cost upon a support, and Fig. 5 is a perspective view showing the device suspended by a cord.

Corresponding and ice parts are referred to in the following description and indicoted in all the views of the drawings by the same reference characters.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, my improved device includes o receptools 10 which may of course, be constructed any desired size of length and which may be formed of any suitable material. However, the receptacle 10 is preferably constructed of suitable sheet metal and is substantially semi-circular in cross-section, being pro vided with the convex or continuously curved portion 11 which is joined at its longitudical edges by the flat side wall 12, the said receptacle being closed at its extremities by suitable end walls 13 and 14. Upon one side of the receptacle, the adjacent margin of the side wall 12 is extended laterally and the adjacent margin of the wall 11 is folded over said laterally extending portion to provide an upstanding flange l l.

. As best shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings,

the sides of the receptacle are extended longitudinally beyond the end wall 14 to firm a terminal flange l5 and the said bod W211i 1d is provided with a suitable opening disposed to receive o cork or other closure 16. By this construction, a suitable poisonous liquid may be easily introduced within the receptacle by simply holding the receptacle in a vertical position and pouring the said liquid into the pocket formed by the flange 15,

' when it will flow through the opening formed in the end well into the receptacle.

Formed in one longitudinal edge of the receptacle at the intersection of the side wall 19 and the curved side wall 11 thereof and in 'ihc flange 14 are a series of longitudinally spaced openings 16, the said openings as best shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings being relatively wide transversely to extend into upper margin of the side wall 12 and to also extend transversely o1"- tlie side wall 11. deranged within the sold openings and depending well within the receptacle, are a plurality of wicks 17. Each of the wicks 17 is preferably folded upon itself and so arranged that'the extremities thereof will project out through the adjacent opening 16 as clearly illustrated in the drawings, although it is to be understood that this particular arrangement is not absolutely essential. However, the particular purpose thereof will presently appear.

The wicks 17 may be formed of any suitable material and are disposed to be immersed at their inner extremities within the liquid contained within the receptacle, so that by capillary action, the outer exposed extremities of the said wicks will be constantly saturated with the liquid. In this connection, it may be stated that it is intended that the receptacle shall be filled with some suitable poisonous liquid which shall be sweeteiied so that the presence of the liquid upon the Wicks 17 will attract flies to the said Wicks to feed upon the liquid. It will be noted that the outer extremities of the wicks 17 will be normally disposed substantially in alinement with the. flange 14' and the said flange will therefore, provide a protection for the free ends of the wicks.

Arranged upon the receptacle 10 adjacent the extremities thereof are hooks or hangers 18. The said'hooks are each preferably formed from a length of suitable resilient wire which, adjacent one end, is secured to the side wall 11 in any suitable manner, the contiguous extremity of the wire being extended in spaced relation to said wall 11 upon one side thereof, and being thence turned inwardly to form a foot 18', the adjacent extremity of the wire being secured to the side wall 11 upon the lower side thereof. It will be noted that the said hooks are arranged transversely of the body portion of the receptacle 10 and at the flange 14', the length of wire forming each of said hooks is again bent upwardly to provide a spring loop 19, and is thence continued at its free extremity in substantial parallel relation to the side wall 12 to form a bill 20, the free extremities of said hooks normally hearing resiliently against the side Wall 12. As shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings, the receptacle 10 may thus be suspended or swingingly mounted upon the wire fabric of a screen door by the hooks 18 with the flat side wall 12 'of the receptacle resting against the said -wire fabric, the free extremities of the said hooks being inserted through the mesh of the screen.

It is to be noted that the free extremities of the hooks 18 or the bills thereof, extend throughout the major portion of the width of the side wall 12 toward the base of the receptacle so that the resilient action of the said free extremities of the hooks will serve to hold the receptacle clampedagainst the wire fabric of the screen door to this prevent movement or flapping of the receptacle when the door is opened and closed. The door shown in Fig. 1 of the drawingsis of conventional construction and has been illustrated for convenience. Particular attention is now called to the fact that when the re"- ceptacle 10 is thus attached to a screen door or other wire fabric, one extremity of each of the wicks 17 adjacent the said fabric will, under. normal conditions, project through the interstices of the fabric so that flies upon oneside of the screen may-easily gain access thereto while the o posite extremity of each of said wicks wi I normally rest upon the opposite side of the fabric so that flies upon the opposite side of the screen'may feed upon the liquid,'from that extremity of each. of saidwicks. This is obviously a featureof advantage and is made possible by the peculiar disposition -'of the opening 16 within the upper edge of the receptacle 10 as well as the particular arrange ment of the wicks 17, above set forth. While the device is thus especially adapted for attachment to the wire fabric of a screen door or any other ordinary window screen,

still, as shown in Fig. 5 of the drawingsfit.

will be observed that the receptacle may be readily suspended by a cord or other flexible element from a nail or other form of support by tying terminal knots in the cordand inserting the said knots through the loops 19, the cord shown in this figure being indicated at 21. Thus, the loops 19 perform a dual function in that they serve to resiliently actuate the free extremities of the hooks 18 and also provide a convenient means'whereby the rece tacle may be suspended as just above set orth. In the event it is desired to position the receptacle upon a window sill, table, or other flat support, it will be noted that the portions 18 provided by the hooks 18 are disposed to contact with the support to maintain the wicks in a rel= atively upright position, as shown in 'Fig. 4 of the drawings. Obviously, I provide a very simple and convenient means for effecting this result and it will thus be noted that the receptacle may be arranged in various places within a house as desire may demand. It will therefore be seen that .I

the wire fabric, flies may gain access to the wicks from each side of. the fabric, and that while the invention is particularly adapted to be attached to screening, it may, with equal facility, be supported y a flexible ele a wick disposed to contact with the liquid, and a flange formed thereon,

my invention, secure by Lettacle being adapted to contain a liquid, a

wick'arranged in said openin and disposed to contact with the liquid, an a suspending hook having its free extremity arranged parallel with the fiat side of the support and extending throughout the major portion of the transverse width thereof, said receptacle being adapted to be suspended upon a support with the free extremity of the hook extending through the support to contact with the side thereof 0p oslte the receptacle for urging the receptaclza toward the sup rt.

2. A device of the character dewnmd including a receptacle having one curved side,

and one flat side intersecting the curved side, and provided with an opening, the said receptaole being adapted to contain a liquid, arranged within said 0 ning and suspending hook carried by the receptacle, the said hook being formed from a length of suitable resilient wirehaving one extremity thereof secured to the curved side of the receptacle to extend transversely thereof, the said wire bein bent at one of the intersections of said si as to extend upwardly upon one side thereof to provide a suspendin loop and being thence continued to orm a ill normally abutting the flat side of the receptacle.

3. A device of the character described including a receptacle adapted to contain a liquid and having a laterally extending the said receptacle being provided with an opening at the bees an opening,

to contact with the liquid, and a supportin hook carried by the receptacle, the said hoo providing afoot adjacent the curved wall of the ptacle disposed to contact with a support to maintain the wick in a relatively upright osition.

5. A evice of the character dmcribed including a receptacle adapted to contain a liquid and having a laterally extending flange formed thereon, the said flange being rovided with a notch and said rece e le aving an opening formed therein at e inner extremity of said notch, and a wick arranged in said opening and disposed to contact with the liquid, the free extremity of the Kick "being disposed in said notch of the port having a reticulate porti tacle carried thereby and adapted to contain a liquid, the receptacle being provided with a wok arranged in said opening and disposed to contact with the liquid the free extremity of the wick being adapted to normally rest against the reticulate portion of the support, and suspending means freely connecting the receptacle with the support and extending thro the reticulate portion thereof, the sai means adapted to coact with the support for urging the receptacle laterally toward the sup to normally seat thereagainst with the said wick hearing at its free extremity, against the said reticulate of the tango.

In testimon whereof I a my lignatun in presence 0 twolwitnemes.

- WILLIS E. TITUS. [L 1.]

6. The combination with a swinging supon, o a receppening and disposed 

